Schools taking wait-and-see attitude on state funding

In an unusual turn of events, the House version of the proposed FY07 budget is less than the governor's version, which could leave the Wachusett Regional School District about $100,000 short in expected revenues next fiscal year.

State Rep. Lewis Evangelidis (RHolden) advised the school committee of that last week, promising to keep updating the panel as the fiscal picture in Boston changes.

WRSDC Chair Alice Livdahl said Tuesday the governor's budget showed $400,000 in combined increased school aid to the Wachusett District, while the House version shows only $300,000.

"Other districts were hurt worse," she said, "and Lew thinks more will be added [to the Wachusett aid] as budget talks continue."

She said if the District budget does have to be reduced, the area that would be affected is transportation. School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Pandiscio's FY07 budget calls for restoration of late buses for middle schools and the high school ($116,820), and restoration of "courtesy busing" of students who live less than 1.5 miles from school ($201,600).

"Dr. Pandiscio has said that busing would be the last thing on the list to be restored if funding falls short," Livdahl said. "We wouldn't be cutting back on new-teacher hires or anything like that."

She said the actual cost of restoring bus services hasn't been calculated yet, because the contractor, Robert L. McCarthy & Sons, is still analyzing routes for next year. Routing buses to the new Glenwood School in Rutland that opens in September, she said, might result in an extra bus left over that could be assigned to another route.

Livdahl also said if state revenues for transportation fall short of FY07 expectations, perhaps the towns might be willing to fund the difference, since it appears they will be getting more state aid than expected.

Princeton and Sterling have funded courtesy busing out of their municipal budgets in recent years, while parents in Holden, Paxton and Rutland have had to pay a $275 bus fee per student if they live within the 1.5-mile limit and want their children to ride a bus to school.

"We have written a letter to the towns to bear in mind that we're not getting full bus reimbursement," Livdahl said, though she was uncertain whether the letter has been sent out. "We're advising the towns that at this point, this is our best funding guess."